


More Than Words

by xenadragon_xoxo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: hp_silencio, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, No Dialogue, Romance, So much cheese that you can sprinkle this fic over your spaghetti
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-10
Updated: 2013-10-10
Packaged: 2017-12-28 23:42:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/998312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenadragon_xoxo/pseuds/xenadragon_xoxo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco has never told Harry that he loves him, but he doesn’t have to, because he declares it every single day by way of gestures and actions. Written for hp_silencio on LJ.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More Than Words

_Love is not about how much you say I love you, but how much you prove that it's true. ~ Unknown_

  
Draco has never told Harry that he loves him.

That fact is often whispered among Harry’s friends when they express concern over his well-being and the health of his relationship. It was in the tabloids once, and the gossip-columns a few times, and Hermione and Ron have asked him if he’s sure that Draco feels the same way. Harry always replies with an affirmative, because although those three words have never been heard from Draco’s lips, they don’t have to be, because Draco declares it every single day by way of actions.

It’s not just in the way Draco kisses Harry passionately and for minutes on end, pouring every emotion he has into them, or in the way he smiles when he pulls away, or in the way he snuggles against Harry when they’re relaxing on the sofa. It’s not just in the way Draco kisses his forehead as they drift off to sleep at night, or how he kisses his eyelids to soothe him after a nightmare. It’s not just in the way he sometimes wakes Harry up with a blowjob or the way he cries out when Harry thrusts into him, nor is it simply in the way he writhes and begs and pleads for his release when he lets Harry tie him up and pleasure him. It isn’t even in the way Harry’s name falls from his lips like a litany as he arches his back when he comes, or in the way he holds Harry through his own orgasm. Those things are merely on the surface, and don’t nearly measure up to everything else.

Instead, Harry sees the affection Draco refuses to speak of in all the little gestures he would never admit to performing. It’s clearly written in the way Draco lets him have the smushy pillow in their bed at night, even though he pretends to fight for it first, and it’s easy to perceive in the way he laughs at all Harry’s dumb, horrible jokes, even if he’s heard them a thousand times before, and even if he rolls his eyes in the process. It’s in the way that sometimes, for no reason at all, Harry will come home or wake up to a delicious meal which Draco insists he cooked because he was bored and not for Harry’s sake. Harry can see it in how Draco helps to whittle down Harry’s to-do list by picking up an item he needs at the store or buying a gift for Mrs Weasley when he knows Harry’s going to forget. It’s in the way he tries to work on all the little habits he has that Harry finds annoying, like leaving his towel on the floor or leaving his coat draped on random surfaces. Of course, every time Harry mentions it, the fact is fervently denied, but Harry knows better.

The list doesn’t end there, because Harry sees Draco’s adoration when he insists on taking Harry out for a meal that he refuses point-blank to call a date, even though that’s what it clearly is. It’s in the way Draco sometimes pays for dinner even when it’s Harry’s turn, slipping the money to the waiter when Harry isn’t looking. Harry hears it in the way Draco compliments him when he talks about Harry to his friends when he thinks Harry isn’t listening, and he feels it in the way he holds Harry’s hand in public and in the gentle touches Draco gives him when they have to be apart. Even when they’re across the room from each other at a dinner or function, mingling with their different friends, Harry sees it when Draco throws him a secret glance meant only for him, sometimes with a smirk or a wink, that speaks volumes more than words ever could.

If anyone were to demand more proof, Harry can tell them that it’s in the fact that Draco has a photograph of him and Harry in his wallet that Harry isn’t supposed to know about, as well as a few of the sappy notes Harry has left him over the years that Draco pretends to consider too teenage-female-like for his taste. It’s also in the way he agrees to go along with all those stupid things Harry wants to do, like go to Muggle amusement parks or watch movies, without complaining more than once. It’s in the way Draco sometimes comes back from the potions shop he owns with some little inexpensive trinket for Harry that he saw in a store window. Draco insists they’re no big deal, but those little gifts mean the world to Harry, because they show that Draco was thinking of him, no matter how much Draco tries to deny it. Harry can also feel Draco’s affection for him when Draco always remembers anniversaries, no matter how much he gripes about having to celebrate such mundane, Hufflepuff-worthy events. Harry knows Draco privately enjoys them, although the git will never admit to it.

Harry used to feel it in the way Draco would get outrageously jealous every time he saw some other guy get a little too close to Harry, and in the way he would get Harry alone as soon as possible and push him against the wall and kiss him senseless after that, staking his claim on Harry and taking him on every surface in sight. Although Harry didn’t really mind, it wasn’t very convenient, especially after the Minister of Magic walked in on them shagging in an unused room at an important event. Draco still gets jealous now, but Harry’s managed to convince him that he’ll never go off with anyone else, and Draco knows that’s the truth. Instead of inconveniently causing scenes, Draco now shows the world that Harry is his by kissing him in front of the cause of his jealousy, and Harry really isn’t complaining about that, even if it makes the people near them feel increasingly awkward.

Harry knows Draco hates all those official Ministry-thrown events Harry has to attend, but no matter what, he always grudgingly agrees to accompany Harry to all of them and supports him at all times, always having his back, and that, to Harry, is a sure sign of how much Draco cares about him. He can see it in the way Draco always cheers Harry on when Harry has to make those speeches he always dreads, whether it’s by squeezing his hand if they’re sitting or standing next to each other or maintaining eye contact and giving him encouraging smiles and nods if Harry’s on a podium, and how Draco helps him write those speeches because Harry lacks the gift of eloquence he possesses. He often complains about it, but Harry knows he doesn’t really mind.

Things haven’t always been easy between them, and there have been plenty of bad times to go with the good, but Draco has never left his side, no matter how hard things got, and Harry takes that as a definite sign of love. Harry first realised Draco loved him when he caught Draco crying when they nearly broke up once, and in the way he hugged him tightly after they made up, as if he was afraid to let go. He continues to see it in the way Draco listens to him when he rants and truly attempts to understand what he’s saying no matter what, and the way he massages Harry’s shoulders after he’s had a rough day. It’s also in the way Draco tries to apologise to him after an argument, swallowing his pride in a way no one would ever believe possible (nor would Draco ever admit to), and in the adorable way he gets tongue-tied trying to choke out that he’s sorry, ruffling his blond hair (which he would never mess up otherwise) in complete nervousness. Harry can see it in way Draco holds him when he has flashbacks and cries over the people he’s lost in the past, and the way Draco trusts Harry to care for him when he cries, too.

Most of all, Harry knows how much Draco loves him simply because he feels it in their everyday lives. It’s in the way Draco smiles without realising it as soon as Harry gets home. He hears it in the companionable silences they share, when Harry feels happier than he’s ever imagined himself capable of feeling, and he’s seen it in the way Draco stares deeply into Harry’s eyes, heatedly enough to make Harry’s knees go weak. He’s seen it in the way Draco gets frightened when he hears Harry’s been hurt at work and comes rushing into St. Mungo’s like a deranged madman, and in the way he never left Harry’s side for a second when he slipped into a coma that one time after a particularly dangerous case. Harry notices it in how Draco always finds reasons to spend a little extra time with him, the lame excuses ranging from statements that Draco isn’t expecting a lot of customers on Harry’s day-off to nonchalant remarks that Draco so happens to need something from the shops Harry wants to go to, just so they can be together a little longer. It’s in the way Draco sends him memos at work for no apparent reason, just to make Harry smile, or the way he writes out actual letters when he knows Harry’s nervous about a case.

And then, there are those moments sometimes when Draco looks at Harry, and he gets this incredibly happy look on his face that takes Harry’s breath away. It even happens when they’re walking and come across a reflective surface and Draco catches sight of them in it, and he just looks so at peace that Harry feels himself falling deeper and deeper in love with him as each moment passes.

Harry waits patiently for the day when Draco finally gathers enough courage to tell him that he loves him, but he isn’t really in a rush, because it’s undeniable, transparent to even someone with observation skills as weak as Harry’s, and even Hermione and Ron can see it when they look hard enough, even though they sometimes shake their heads and talk about how love is blind. Harry’s always found that idea stupid – love isn’t blind, it just only sees what matters. To Harry, love is so much more than three seemingly insignificant words that are said so often that they barely carry much meaning anyway. After all, what is love, but just a word, until you meet someone who gives it meaning?

Perhaps, to other people, love has fancy definitions involving diamond rings and bouquets of red roses and declarations engraved in gold, but to Harry, love is about sharing life’s ups and downs and laughing and crying together through each of them. To Harry, love is about giving someone the power to hurt you, but trusting them not to. It’s about smiling on the inside and out, it’s that condition when another person’s happiness is essential to your own, it’s being completely comfortable and safe with that person, and it’s knowing all about him and still wanting to learn more every single day.

But most importantly, love, to Harry, is looking into someone’s clear, blue-grey eyes, and knowing that you’ve found everything you’ve been looking for, and all you’ll ever need.

Finite


End file.
